Marketing and selling online with a small or home business

Internet lead providers are springing up like weeds. The question is which company will produce the best results for you? Only you can answer that, but there are a few profit killing mistakes you should be aware of.

Mistake#1: Not getting free leads to evaluate the service. If a company claims that they offer the best leads, make them prove it. Get a few to work with at no charge. This will allow you to get a hands-on feel for the leads without a financial commitment.

Mistake#2: Not buying qualified leads. Some companies provide a list of contacts and call them \"leads\". Trying to sell these \"leads\" can result in frustration and wasted time. A qualified lead is a real prospect in your target market who has requested information regarding insurance and has a real interest in receiving insurance quotes.

Mistake#3: Buying incentivized leads. Watch out for companies who secure leads by offering incentives in exchange for a quote request. These leads are ineffective. Always ask any potential lead provider how they get their leads. Look at the offer on their websites and make sure they are not offering incentives.

Mistake#4: Believing there is such a thing as an exclusive insurance lead. Companies selling so-called exclusive leads will charge you from 4 to 5 times as much as companies who sell non-exclusive leads, which would be great if it truly eliminated competition. The truth is no lead can ever be guaranteed as exclusive.

Sure the company may sell the lead only once, but they can\'t control the consumer. Consumers, especially those on the internet, like to shop and compare prices. This is true even with referrals. Instead of wasting money on exclusive leads it is better to focus on improving service and offering more competitive policies.

Mistake#5: Buying old, \"aged\" or \"vintage\" leads. On the other end of the spectrum are those who think they can save money by buying old recycled leads. This is a big mistake. These leads may be good for a drip campaign or mailing, but using old leads just for a list is pretty expensive. Plus it can take up to 6 months to see any return because chances are the people you are reaching out too probably just purchased a policy. When buying internet insurance leads, be sure they are delivered in real time.

Mistake#6: Not comparing results. No matter how good you think your lead sources are, you should always continue to test and compare results. Make sure you track everything, like the time spent to secure a lead and follow up on it, the cost of acquiring a lead and your closing ratio.

Stay focused on ROI and try different lead sources. Determine you minimum standards for performance and dump any sources that don\'t measure up.

By going to FreeInsuranceReferrals.com you can get 20 free auto, homeowners, life, and health insurance leads. I am sure that once you try the leads for yourself, you will see that they are better than anything else on the market today. Did I mention these real time internet insurance leads are free?

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